Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!cornell!rochester!ur-tut!ur-valhalla!micropen!dave From: dave@micropen (David F. Carlson) Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport Subject: Compiler woes Message-ID: <452@micropen> Date: 7 Apr 88 15:11:01 GMT Organization: Micropen Dirent Writing Systems, Pittsford, NY Lines: 43 Keywords: Microport 286 386 PCC Recently there have been some postings crying about problems in the Microport compilers. First, let's be fair and note that Microport's compilers are all AT&T PCC based. Thus, most problems are not theirs at all. The nasty segmented architecture in the 286 version has some multi-segment problems that makes multi-segment arrays of pointers (and huge arrays) difficult. These may be called bugs but 99.99% of all c code I've compiled on the 286 version of these compilers have not required this missing functionality. If anyone here remembers PDP-11 UNIX compilers, then be grateful that PCC has ~10 years of solid debugged operation. As for intimations that the 386 compilers are bad, I have found no bugs in my 6 months of managing professional software developers using it. Please bring these apparently copious bugs to our attention rather than just slandering and flaming. Also, to the best of my knowledge, unlike the 286 compiler, Microport received the 386 compiler lock-stock-and-barrel from AT&T by way of ISC. No value-added whatsoever. As far as comparable worth, I own a Microsoft 4.0 compiler ($400) that is so buggy that I had to find another way to get my job done. I would take even the 286 Microport compiler over *any* Microsoft compiler product any day of the week. As for the compiler that is used to compile the OS, etc., rest assured that the Green Hills C is not being used. Nor is it being shipped with the software development package, as indicated in current advertising. I have had some experience with the GHC/386 and it is not a UNIX compiler: it has its own non-UNIX compatible libraries and some of those system calls are similar enough to Clib functions that mixed mode operation will undoubtably cause problems. The GHC has some really nice optimization for stack linkage and register allocation but UNIX people want a compiler that can deal with UNIX libraries rather than non-shared, non-standard, third party libaries. Suffice to say, it may be a long time before a third party C compiler is available on the 386 so don't sweat it. Although many new users seem to think flaming Microport is great sport, let's try to improve things rather than just slash at them. Back up reports of bugs with facts and observations not idle gossip about buggy this or that. -- David F. Carlson, Micropen, Inc. ...!{ames|harvard|rutgers|topaz|...}!rochester!ur-valhalla!micropen!dave "The faster I go, the behinder I get." --Lewis Carroll